The iconic ’90s music video that Ethan Hawke filmed in just one take
The bohemian Hollywood star Ethan Hawke has always operated on two sides of the industry, appearing in some of the most well-known indie gems as well as box-office behemoths. His career in 2022 is a microcosm of this fact, with the actor taking to the historical action drama The Northman by Robert Eggers, Rodrigo García’s quiet comedy-drama Raymond & Ray and Marvel’s manic Moon Knight TV series.
Emerging at the end of the 1980s alongside Robin Williams with Peter Weir’s celebrated Dead Poets Society, Hawke became a subversive actor in indie dramas of the 20th century’s final decade. He collaborated with filmmakers such as Robert Redford, Alfonso Cuarón and, most notably, Richard Linklater. Capturing a certain spontaneous European freneticism, Hawke joined Julie Delpy in Linklater’s iconic love story Before Sunrise in 1995.
Just one year later, Hawke established his name in the more mainstream world of Hollywood with the 1994 movie Reality Bites, directed by Ben Stiller. Appearing beside Stiller and Winona Ryder in a starring role, Hawke greatly impacted the romantic comedy, even helping to source the iconic score by Lisa Loeb that bookended the sweet drama.
‘Stay (I Missed You)’ was written and composed by Loeb, especially for the 1994 movie, four years after she had originally conceived the tune and considered selling it to Daryl Hall. After deciding to use the song herself, Loeb’s fateful neighbour, Ethan Hawke, heard her play it and proposed to Stiller that it should be used in Reality Bites.
A pop song heavily influenced by folk music, the tune plays over the movie’s final credits and became a significant standalone success, reaching number one in the US and Canada, whilst the music video also reached heights of commercial popularity. Currently, at 23 million views on YouTube, the video was a favourite of the 1990s, helping Loeb to become the first unsigned artist to top Billboard number one.
Hawke had already helped Loeb gain more coverage by using her song in Reality Bites, but he also went one step further by directing the iconic music video for ‘Stay (I Missed You)’. Capturing the video in one continuous shot, the short film is remarkably well-made, featuring his own cat alongside Loeb, dressed in a forest green dress and tortoiseshell glasses, as she sings around her New York apartment.
Beautifully understated, the video perfectly matches Loeb’s song and style as a songwriter, with both the performer and Hawke being celebrated for the innovative short film.
Hawke’s fame only grew stronger as his career entered the 21st century, collaborating once more with Richard Linklater in Waking Life before starring in Training Day with Denzel Washington and the remake of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, appearing alongside Laurence Fishburne and John Leguizamo.
Take a look at Hawke and Loeb’s music video below.
